Apr. 18, 2013

Windflowers, or anemones, bloom in spring in many colors, including red, white, purple and this deep, violet blue. / Rob Zimmer/Post-Crescent Media

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While the brilliant displays of tulips, daffodils and other spring blooming flowers are a few weeks behind last year’s parade of color, soon a rainbow of blossoms will beckon residents of the Fox Valley to area public gardens to enjoy the spectacular show.

Last fall, the stage was being set, as garden staff and volunteers at locations such as the Gardens of the Fox Cities in Appleton, Green Bay Botanical Garden and the The Paine Art Center and Gardens in Oshkosh began to plant tens of thousands of spring blooming bulbs.

Spring-blooming favorites, such as tulips, daffodils, crocuses, hyacinths, anemones, crown imperials, allium and others, require winter’s chill to bloom the following April and May. They’ve had plenty of that this past winter, and the show is set to begin with the first warmth of spring.

Already, the earliest small bulbs have begun to burst forth with color. Crocuses and bulb irises have been blooming for a few weeks in some gardens. The real show, the tulip and daffodil extravaganza, is just beginning, as leaf shoots and flower buds begin to green up area gardens and backyards.

Here are a few places to visit to see the best spring blooming displays in the Fox Valley and Lakeshore areas.

Gardens of the Fox Cities

Located in Appleton’s Memorial Park, the Gardens of the Fox Cities brings back the popular Fox Cities Blooms event, the culmination of the spring bloom season in all its glory.

Tens of thousands of bulbs decorate garden beds, as well as a naturalized area of “wild” tulips and daffodils that bloom freely on a large, grassy mound.

Formal plantings of the best and brightest tulips, daffodils and hyacinths greet visitors to the gardens, who enjoy free admission as they stroll through the winding pathways and explore the many garden beds and berms.

In addition to the spring-flowering tulips and daffodils, visitors will enjoy the beauty of several magnolias in full bloom, as well as unique plants such as crown imperials, prairie smoke and spring ephemeral wildflowers such as trillium, mayapple and more.

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Fox Cities Blooms gets under way as soon as blooms begin to appear throughout the gardens, normally the middle or end of April, peaking during mid to late May.

Green Bay Botanical Garden

At the Green Bay Botanical Garden, more than 250,000 spring blooms will blanket the garden pathways and beds this spring. This stunning floral display features many of the newest and most unusual spring bloomers, including many one-of-a-kind plants you won’t see anywhere else in the area.

While tulips and daffodils take center stage in most garden beds, other spring-blooming plants are worth exploring.

The gardens extensive collection of magnolias graces the garden in April and May, depending on the weather. Magnolias in many colors, from pristine white to coral, pink and purple burst into angelic bloom.

In the King Shade garden, find unusual forms of jack in the pulpit, graceful Thalia daffodils, yellow trilliums, epimedium and other spring blooming beauties.

This year’s display includes over 23,000 new bulbs, according to Aubrey Brennan, marketing and communications manager at the Garden.

“We planted over 23,000 bulbs last fall that will enhance the hundreds of thousands of perennial spring blooms,” Brennan said. “The Stumpf Belvedere garden will feature Queen of the Night tulips along with Aperitif tulips and scilla. A homemade blend of five varieties of orange and cream tulips will be featured in front of the wellhouse and will have you thinking about eating creamsicles this summer in no time. The fountain area will be a splash of Americana with the tulip mix Spangle, and the Schneider Terraces will strut its stuff with the Cakewalk tulip blend.”

The Paine Art Center and Gardens

Visitors to the formal plantings at the Paine Art Center and Gardens in Oshkosh will be treated to an array of fabulous spring color that reaches from formally planted garden beds to a wild, native prairie woodland.

The Woodland Path is a favorite for lovers of spring wildflowers. Here, plants that are native to Wisconsin’s shady woodlands, including many specimens of trees and wildflowers, border the winding path. Short-lived spring bloomers, such as Dutchman’s Breeches, trillium and bloodroot can be found here.

Each spring tulips and other spring bulbs decorate the Oshkosh Area Community Foundations sweeping, tiered garden at the Paine in dramatic displays of color and textures that stretch seamlessly from early spring through fall.

Lakeshore Blooms

Along the Lakeshore, the glory of spring in bloom can be found at some of the best and brightest public gardens in the state.

In Manitowoc, West of the Lake Gardens is a free, formally planted public garden located along the shoreline of Lake Michigan.

Bookworm Gardens, Sheboygan, offers a fascinating garden getaway, with a literary theme, geared toward children. The gardens offer an array of colorful spring blooms, set to different literary themes and are a must-visit destination throughout spring and summer.

The Botanical Gardens of Kohler features spring blooming plants intermingled among the destination’s famous unusual art pieces, winding garden paths and garden village atmosphere.

Central locations

At the Robert W. Monk Gardens, Wausau, visit to the 21-acre garden combines a beautiful journey into the Wisconsin wild with the colorful pleasures of a botanical garden atmosphere.

The Wildflower Woods is the perfect place to enjoy the beauty of spring wildflowers. Marsh marigolds bloom in wet areas, and the woods are filled with other natives such as spring beauties, bloodroot and more.

Other gardens throughout the property bloom with spring blooming favorites such as daffodils and other cheerful flowers, even as the area is expanded and developed.

Watch for green frogs, snapping turtles, butterflies and more during your spring visit.

In Stevens Point, the Schmeekle Reserve at UW Stevens Point offers spectacular trails and quiet places that lead visitors among the beautiful, native spring- blooming wildflowers of our area.

Along with the popular Green Circle Trail, the trails at Schmeekle allow visitors to get up close and personal with Wisconsin's finest wildflowers in all their spring glory.